Alan Kohler is one of Australia’s most experienced business commentators. Alan has been a trusted source of investment advice to Australians for many years, and in 2005 he founded Eureka Report - Australia’s #1 online investment report. Along with Robert Gottliebsen and Stephen Bartholomeusz, Alan also founded Business Spectator, the popular business news and commentary website. Alan is the regular finance presenter on the ABC News and producer of the popular nightly graph (or two).

Policy & Politics

An Oxford and London School of Economics study analysing actual trade data finds that changes in energy prices have little effect on global trade competitiveness. It suggests a carbon price of $100 would reduce EU exports by less than 1%.

The report should consider the material impact of climate change on Australia’s fiscal sustainability, economic growth and standard of living - and how the nation can proceed to a net-zero emissions economy.

Rather than seeing Port Augusta's hoped-for solar thermal station replaced by a modular nuclear reaction, this inquiry - given the unfavourable international economics of uranium enrichment - looks to be more about waste.

For some time now, inspection audits have deemed 4% of solar systems 'unsafe' and 15% 'sub-standard'. What does this actually mean and why be suspicious about the media and the minister's new-found concern?

The Clean Energy Regulator's target of 11.71% for 2015 represents an additional 808MW of solar PV for the year, down slightly on 2014. The regulator has also released non-binding marks for 2016 and 2017.

The government has now publicly confirmed a large-scale RET offer above the 30,000GWh range, with Greg Hunt saying he's optimistic of a deal with Labor soon that goes 'significantly further' than 20%. However, Ian Macfarlane is striking a very different tone.

Tony Abbott and George Brandis have apparently lost confidence in the political impartiality of the Human Rights Commission ... a year after appointing to it an ideological soulmate with an advanced degree in carbon price sabotage.

As the LGC spot price grows and a compromise looms on the RET, might a few developers and financiers decide it's worth the risk to dive in and build some projects, even without a long term power purchase contract?